Apparatus for canning meat



Dec. 17, 1940. c. L GRIFFITH 2,224,908

APPARATUS FOR CANNING MEAT Filed April 27, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

C. L. GRIFFITH APPARATUS FOR CANNING MEAT Filed April 27, 1959 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 17, 1940 UNITE-o- 'srA'I-fssl PATENTossi-.cs

APPARATUS FOR oANN-ING'MEAT CarrollA L. Gritha Chicago, Ill., assignor-rto The The present invention' isanimprovement upon thev apparatusvdescribed in the copending Komarik" U. S; application, Serialy No.1963244, ledyMarch 16; 1938; now U; Si Patent No; 2,18159451 issuedDecemberf, 1939;

Whole hams are. canned` far more extensively l in the e'ld ofthisinvention than othermeats; and present particular problems. Thereforetheinvention willk be described and` explained" with reference' to hams`Without necessarily'v being limited to hams; which because ofitheirshape requirenon-circular cans. n

Prior to'tlieuse of't-he'said'Koma'rik apparatus,v hams have* beencanned as follows' 'I'he hams" are boned, andV clampedL pressureintofaliam cooker. Thisis anopen top heavywalledvessel oi` the shape oftheham and' off the can to" be employed.' It' is fittedVv with4 a clamp'structure which pressesthehamA` intothe ham-cooker; A large number'ofsuch lled liam cookers are im;- mersed in boiling Water for" 2: hours;This is 25J calledA a" fprecook; andi an' important'xv result" is thatthe hamL shape isset so that' itvmaybe readily transferred tothereceivingcan or tin in4 which itis then'placed, and the can evacuatedand'sealedi The ham thussealedin its-'Canis cooked `againfor aperiodof"20 'minutesper pound ofham'. v

This-` process hasigreat disadvantages; In the pre-cooking there-islossof weightand shrinkage. About' 15% ofthejuiceso the-ham go into the 35*`cookingl waterand are lostrv t'o the' canned ham;

In the' ii'nal cooking' a further'quantity ofh juice to about 12% to'13%ofthe original* ham i'slost;l but stays i'n thecan as `liquid or`gelz'rtii'i4 the' void spacesand over'tlfie surface-'of the ham; makingthe appearance unattractive when opened.

The apparatus of Komarik aimsto overcome these defectslof the-prior art;in preservingthe juices ofl' the' hamA in the ham;1 inl minimizing- 45;shrinkage;'in minimizing voidspacein thecan;

in eliminating thev precooking" operation; in

eliminating the several handlingsofthe ham; and inH so doingA theinvention aims to i'it'Vv afI raw ham .in its lcan-with arminimum of'void' space byy j insertion under mechanical pressure; to seal a raw'hamin' a:can';' an'dtofcook it but once.

The: Komarik apparatus confines tli'e can laterally by. surrounding itwithl a split collar formed byclampingfjawsf; Meat placed in the 55.?canis-lpressed; inlby.' azpressuresoperatedplunger.'

Inc., Chicago, Ill., a cor 1939, serial No; z'zoga'as One'feature of theK'omarikv structure is the provision of adapter plates to raise theeiectve support for the can bottom in order to accommodate cans'ofvarying standard'heights, which are providedfor various sizesof ham.Cornplementarjf to such' plates, the jaws forming the split collar arerecessed from the bottom upwardly toaccommodate'theedge crimpat the canbottom as its positiony is raised: by inserting adapter plates. y 10'Thus,v when no adapter plate is used, the said recess inthe' collarprovides a region where an area of the can'side-is not supportedagainstinternali pressureof' the meat under' inuence of the plunger.

Ihavev discovered vthat under certain'conditions, depending uponthe'gauge ofmetal in the can wallt and the'pressure, itispossible tobulge out the'can-wall at the said unsupported area. Thisresultoriginally was not obtained' in the vKomarik device. As firstdesigned and used, a pneumatic plunger was employed. Later a hydraulicplunger was 'used to produce greater" pressures more conveniently; ILhave found lthat with standardham can a: pressure of '120' lbs. per sq.inch` ofi plunger area, the canis .slightly deformed' in the said'Komarik apparatus.

The. obj e'ctofI the. present invention is.A to provideapparatusssuitable forreceiving varioussizes ofV cans, yet which` will.adequately support the. whole side Wall. ofthe ycanto prevent bulgingfrom internalipressureA transmitted through meat in thecan. j f

A particular object of the invention is to provide adaptermeansasachangeable part of the can-supporting jaws, sov that the can,whether tall. or'short, rests' on the same bottom, and the Wall i which.supports the canvside' is vof variable height. f

Various other' andr ancillary objects and. ad'- vantagesof` theinventionzwill become apparent from the;following description andexplanation ofi theninvent-ion asset forth in'reference to' theaccompanying drawings in which:

Fig. lisafront elevation ofthe device for'com pressing the material intothe` can, showing clamping, jaws in open position.y

Fig..2 is a planvieW/ofv thedevice of Fig; lon'tnezvlinei 2.2l of Eig.1showing the clampingy jaws in closedz position, and. in dotted linesin' open position.

Fig.-3`is a detailed enlargedviewshowing the relation'. off the can; thebase,the clampingjaws and" the pressure'plunger, takenlonrtne line 3-3of y Cil

Fig. 4 is a side View of the device of Fig. 1, looking from the right inFig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a detailed plan view of the base plate of the device, showinga can in cross-section thereon, with the clamping jaws omitted, taken onthe line 5 5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of an insert shown apart from the yrest of thedevice.

A large raw piece of meat, such as a ham, is plastic, rather thanelastic. As a result of such property it may be deformed to aconsiderable extent by pressure, and then retain its new form. Thepresent invention is built around this property to obtain the desiredresults, particularly where non-circular shapes of can are employed. Ifan attempt is made to inserta ham in a can by hand pressure, the sides.bulge out and do not return. The can is thus not in proper shape toreceive its lid and be evacuated and sealed in a normal way. It is forthis reason that heretofore, the hams have been pre-shaped bypre-cooking as described above.

Accordingly the can is set in a device to retain its normal shape whenthe material is forced therein. In such a device, considerable pressuremust be used to force the ham into the corners and avoid pockets. A flatplate or plunger over the area of the can is inadequate to do this Wherelarge areas are encountered, and void space is to be avoided. There maybe a squeezing of material up around the edges of the plunger if thereis too much clearance, which extruded material interferes with sealingthe can. Also the strictly vertical pressure does not carry through thei'lll out the bottom peripheral corner of the can. The

' desired eiTect is obtained with a convex plunger,

and where this has an appreciable clearance for practical mechanicalconvenience, a suitable peripheral flange is provided to keep materialout of the clearance space where it would interfere with sealing.

For further understanding of the apparatus it is stated that hams varyin weight and size. Different sizes of cans therefore are provided, anda can is chosen the ultimate volume of which when sealed issubstantially the volume of the ham inserted. It is more or lessstandard practice to employ in one establishment a series of cans havingthe same area, but varying heights. For example one set of cans variesin height from 6 inches to 3% inches with intermediate sizes at 1A; inchintervals. The present apparatus is made for accommodation of an entireset-of such cans.

In general, the apparatus comprises a base on which the open-topped canis properly positioned. The ham may be already loosely placed therein.Relatively movable clamping jaws moveA to a locked position to encompassthe side Walls of the can, and prevent deformation of the can. Over theopen can is mounted a pressure actuated plunger in fixed associationwith the base to give proper alinement with the properly positioned can.The plunger has a bellied or convex surface to press more on the centerthan the sides, thus forcing meat down as well as sideways. The ham inthe can presents a slight concave surface against which the can top whenapplied is drawn when the can is evacuated and sealed, thus assuring novoid top space. The action of the vacuum on the air and gases dissolvedin the cold raw meat also causes it to swell, further assuring closecontact of meat and can and cover, with a minimum of void space. Voidspace remaining is largely'due to high irregularities in the chunk ofmeat itself.

In Fig. 1, a table I carries mounted thereon a base plate II, and a yokeI2 carrying a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder I3 and valve control I4therefor with pressure connections I and I6 for raising and lowering apiston I'l therein.

The base II is shown best in Fig. 5, and in cross-section in Fig. 3. Ithas a bevelled edge 20, a. raisedlevel or deck 2I` running around thebase in a location peripheral to the position of the can. A raised lug22 at the front has bevel edges on two sides continuing from the baselevel 2|, serving as guides and rests for the swinging clamping jaws 24and 25 when closed. The lug 22 has a post-like projection 26 whichserves a stop for the jaws, fitting into appropriate recesses 28 and 29in the ends of the jaws. The jaws are suitably ribbed for reinforcingthem and at the rear are hinged on a post 30 projecting up from the deck2| of base II. A -boss 32 surrounds the post at the deck 2I to keep thejaws at a proper level when open. Convenient handles 33 and 34 aremounted on the jaws. A suitable clamp is provided having a threaded stem35 pivoted at 36 on jaw 24, and a handle-like nut 31 thereon. There areopposed bifurcated lugs 38 and 39 at the meeting ends of the jaws, intowhich the stem 35 swings to be clamped by tightening handlenut 31.

The interior contour of the jaws is designed for a particular set ofcans to hold them in original shape. In order to position the canproperly, the base II is madeto match the bottom of the can. The canshown (Fig. 3) has a vertical side wall 40, a raised bottom 4I, anoutwardly anddownwardly projecting crimp 42, and a reinforcing ring 43in' the bottom near the crimp. 'Ihe base II is vraised above its deck 2Ito lit into' the recess thus formed in the can, and thus position thecan. The raised base area is shown at 44, with the peripheral shoulder44a.

Every can sets in the same way with its bottom 4I on the base area 44.Each jaw presents a contact area 45 against the wall of the can. Thisarea 45 extends from the crimp 42 upwardly' as far as the position wherethe side wall of the shortest can will terminate. This point isrepresented ,by the line 46, at which the jaw is cut back providinghorizontal ledge 41. Onto this ledge of jaw 24 there is placed one ofseveral inserts 48 which extends the area 45 as high asia certain cantaller than the shortest can. Insert 48 has a height according to onesize can. .Hence several inserts are employed for a set of three or morecans. Because of along ilangeV on the plunger later to be described, .itis possible to use one insert for several sizes of can, and it isessential only that the insert extend at least as high as the bottomposition of said plunger. In jaw a corresponding insert 49 is used. 'Ihecan wall has aliared `top 50, and a reinforcing ring 5I below it. Theinserts 48 and 49 are made to terminate vjust below the ring 5I when thecorresponding can sets on the base area 44. Thus the whole can-side isconned laterally. The inserts 48 and- 49 are secured by hooked lugs 52carried by the inserts, and extending horizontally through holes 53 inthe'jaws. Locking hooks 54 engage the lugs, being pivoted to the jaws.

'Ihe yoke I2 Ycarries'fthe plunger, heretofore only generally referredto; by any suitable construction; The piston Il carries below the yokel2 a cross member 60 (Fig. 4) in which are mounted vertical guide rods6l and 62 passing through guide bearings 64 and 65 in case wings on yokeI2. A plunger plate 66 is removable mounted on piston rod 61, by screw68, and has collar 69 against which bears a free collar 'lll thethickness of which permits adjusting the level of the plunger plate.Suitable integral webs 'H extend radially from the collar 69 toreinforce the plunger plate B6.

The active or under surface of the plunger plate is bellied or convex,as indicated at 13 (Fig. 3). At the center of a plate, which isgenerally an oval for hams, with a size of about 10 inches by 7 inches,the belly is about 5/8 inch from the peripheral edge of the belly, witha smooth curvature. This results in forces laterally from the centralarea to the periphery, as well as downwardly, as indicated generally byarrows 14, a ange 'l5 terminating preferably at a distance below theentire belly. The flange 'l5 is preferably tapered as shown and has ablunt edge. In use, downward movement of this flange tends to move themeat cleanly away from the can side without vertical compression at thecan wall, and without squeezing any of it through the clearance spacebetween the can side and the flange 15.

The device shown is particularly designed for simplicity in constructionand operation. It requires inserting the prelled can into the jaws,manually closing the jaws, moving the plunger down, then up, by air orliquid control, unclamping the jaws, and removing the can. The canremains in shape against readily deforming in further handling. Theparticular manner of constructing the device and operating it, is not tobe considered as a limitation, and for the broad purposes of theinvention it is to be understood that other constructions may beadopted, for example, to operate on a continuous line of cans moving inone direction, as in a large packing house. The present invention isparticularly adapted for the needs of the many small packing houses,where more complicated devices would not be in demand.

The invention permits shaping hams, lor other whole meat or the like,for closely fitting into cans, without pre-cooking in shapingcontainers. All the juices and flavors of the material are saved in thecan. The tight fitleaves little or no space to receive juices, and hencethere is little or no resultant shrinkage, and little or no liquid orgelatin outside the meat. The process has particular advantage forevacuating raw meat (over cooked meat) or other raw material in a can.Because the gases or air dissolved in the material are releasable onfapplying vacuum to cause a swelling, they are retained in thisinvention so to function. The release of gases in the ham by evacuationforms bubbles (as in the painful caisson disease) which in cookingexpand and cause the meat to swell as it cooks, into contact with thecan, keeping juices Within. In evacuating cooked ham or meat in a can,the expansible gas has all been expelled in the precooking process. Thecooking phases, and the mechanical phases of the process Work incombination toward the desired ends.

The apparatus may be used for forcing hams and the like into the priorart ham boilers, some of which are sufficiently rigid in construction sothat conining the sides is not necessary. Hams thus forced in and cookedin the prior art practice of canning will thus have a better fit in thecontainer, and later the sealed can.

I claim:

l. Apparatus for canning meat and like solid material in a set of cansof Various heights and of the same area, comprising in combination, abase for positioning a vertical side-walled topless can with its bottomon said base, movable means to encompass the sides of a can positionedon said base, said means having a contact area on the can wall from thebottom edge upwardly to the vicinity of the top edge of the shortest canof the set, said means being recessed in a direction away from the canfor the receipt of an insert to eX- tend said contact area for tallercans, and insert means adapted to be positionedin said recessed means toextend said area to a greater height to accommodate a taller can settingon said base.

2. Apparatus for canning meat and like solid material ,comprising incombination a base for positioning a vertical side-walled topless canwith its bottom on said base, movable means to encompass the sides of acan positioned on said base, said means having a contact area on the canfrom the bottom edge of thercan wall upwardly to the vicinity of the topedge of the can wall, and there being recessed forming a shoulder andspace to accommodate any outwardly extending structure of the top edgeof the can, and means positionable on said shoulder to provide an areaextending said contact area for similar use with a taller can having aside wall extending above said shoulder.

3. Apparatus for canning meat and like solid material comprising incombination a base for positioning a vertical side-Walled topless canwith its bottom on said base, a pair of horizontally swinging jawsmovable to encompass the sides of a can positioned on said base, saidjaws together in closed position presenting a Contact area on the canfrom the bottom edge of the can wall upwardly to the vicinity of the topedge of the 'can wall, and there being recessed forming a shoulder andspace to accommodate any outwardly extending structure of the top edgeof the can, vand. means positionable on said shoulder to provide an areaextending said contact area for similar use with a taller can having aside Wall extending'above said shoulder.

4. Apparatus for canning meat and like solid material in a set of cansof various heights and of the same area, comprising in combination, abase for positioning a vertical side-walled topless can with its bottomon said base, means to encompass the sides of a can positioned on saidbase, said means having a contact area on the can Wall from the bottomedge upwardly tothe vicinity of the top edge of the shortest can of theset, said means being recessed in a direction away from the can for thereceipt of an insert to extend said contact area for taller cans, andinsert means adapted to be positioned in said recessed means to extendysaid area to a greater height to accommodate a taller can setting onsaid base.

CARROLL L. GRIFFITH.

